5 Reasons Why Oklahoma State Will Win the 2014 NCAA Tournament

5 Reasons Oklahoma State Will Win 2014 NCAA Tournament

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have had a season filled with uncertainty to say the least. As soon as you buy into this team they fall apart, and just as you count them out the Cowboys show you why they can beat any team in the country. Despite recent losses to Kansas and Iowa State, the Cowboys aren’t done yet and look to prove so in the NCAA Tournament.

5. Marcus Smart

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5. Marcus Smart

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Smart is one of the most physically gifted players in the country, but more than that, he is a winner. Smart has the ability to carry the Cowboys to a win on any given night, and considering this should be his last season in Stillwater, he will do everything he can to carry his team to a championship.

4. Physicality

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

4. Physicality

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Between Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash alone, the Cowboys have one of the most physical starting lineups in the country. Where this hasn’t always been an advantage in the Big 12 will change when Oklahoma State can overpower teams such as Gonzaga and Arizona.

3. Toughness

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3. Toughness

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not every day that a team is as mentally and physically tough as they are talented. Well, the Cowboys have proven they are worthy of being called a “tough” team after bouncing back from the Marcus Smart suspension and how they have played through injuries. This kind of toughness is what gets teams from one round to the next, and Oklahoma State has enough to go around.

2. Battle-Tested

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2. Battle-Tested

Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Just as with every team that played in the Big 12 this season, the Cowboys are undoubtedly battle-tested. Although they fell short in quite a few of their matchups, the grueling gauntlet that was the Big 12 has readied Oklahoma State for playing stiff competition consecutively.

1. Confidence

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

1. Confidence

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, the confidence this team puts on the court every game, especially as of late, is a must when playing with nothing to lose each game. Again, they don’t always win, but playing teams like Iowa State and Kansas would be a problem for anybody. Knowing they have competed with, and beaten some of the Big 12’s top teams, the Cowboys should be confident that they can find themselves in Dallas in April.